re-election

(Newser) -
For weeks Seattle Mayor Ed Murray pushed ahead with plans for his re-election campaign despite claims by men he sexually abused them decades ago when they were teenagers, allegations Murray vehemently denied. But Murray announced Tuesday he was abandoning his bid for a second term, saying it would be best...
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(Newser) -
GOP Rep. Jason Chaffetz, head of the House Oversight Committee, will not run for reelection in Utah in 2018, Politico reports. Chaffetz made the announcement on Facebook Wednesday morning, noting that after "long consultation with my family and prayerful consideration," he'd decided to follow his own advice...
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'I want to be able to go out at the top of my game,' Nevada senator says

(Newser) -
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid announced this morning he won't be seeking re-election in 2016, the New York Times reports. The Nevada senator, who reveals he's been thinking about retiring "for months," per the Times, says he's not ending his nearly 30 years in the...
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Roger Freeman died last week from cancer, but it looks like he defeated opponent

(Newser) -
Election results are still trickling in in Washington state (it's a vote-by-mail-only state, KOMO News reports), but it looks like voters are giving Democratic Rep. Roger Freeman of Federal Way a second term with about 53% of the vote, NBC News notes. There's just one problem: The 48-year-old...
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Ever since George Washington, it's been a tough 4 years

(Newser) -
The election is in the bag, but the fight isn't over for President Obama. Now he must fend off the so-called "second-term curse" that has dogged presidents from George Washington to George W, writes Adam Clymer in the New York Times . Washington faced protests over a post-Revolutionary War...
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$2K gifts number less than half of what they did at this point in 2008

(Newser) -
The Obama re-election campaign is out-earning the Republicans, and has collected donations from more than 1.4 million people. But one area where President Obama is badly lagging is with big-money donations—an issue that political observers say could presage problems to come, reports the Washington Post . At this point...
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Prez boasts of progress in economy, Iran

(Newser) -
In his 2009 pre-Super Bowl interview, President Obama said that if the economy wasn't fixed by now, he would not deserve a second term. And today, with spiraling debt and 8.3% unemployment? "I deserve a second term," Obama said in yesterday's pre-game interview, adding: "...
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'The vultures are starting to circle': Chapman

(Newser) -
"The vultures are starting to circle" a president who can't solve the economy, can't excite his base, and "can't even sneak a cigarette," Steve Chapman writes in the Chicago Tribune . "But there is good news" for President Obama, Chapman insists: "I checked...
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White House insists criticisms off-base, but liberals frustrated

(Newser) -
With the economy's continuing weakness, a 9.1% unemployment rate, and the president's sagging poll numbers, leading Democrats are voicing louder doubts and concerns about President Obama's re-election chances, reports the New York Times . Attempts to capture the middle ground have both failed with independents and alienated...
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And a look at the 13 'keys' to success

(Newser) -
Looks like President Obama can stop worrying about the 2012 election—it’s a done deal, according to American University professor Allan Lichtman. “Even if I am being conservative I don’t see how Obama can lose,” he tells US News . Lichtman has a simple system for determining...
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For first time, most want their own representative out

(Newser) -
"Throw the bums out" is a common refrain about Congress, but people usually apply an important qualifier in the voting booth: Except for my representative. Not this year, apparently. A new CNN poll shows that, for the first time, most Americans think their own member of Congress should get...
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... But actual candidates may not fare as well

(Newser) -
Voters are growing more likely to vote for a Republican challenger over Obama, as a generic "Republican candidate" opened a 47%-39% lead, according to a new survey by Gallup . Obama had a slight advantage in May, thanks largely to the killing of Osama bin Laden, but Republicans pulled slightly...
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And, simultaneously, not-so-rich ones

(Newser) -
President Obama's 2012 machine is revving up early, and his campaign is using all its assets to pull in wealthy donors—while also courting the small Internet donors that fueled his grass-roots machine in 2008. The Washington Post takes a long look at the fundraising push, which has included...
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But says he's still got work left to do

(Newser) -
President Obama says the first family would be just fine if they were just a regular family. “If I said, ‘You guys, I want to do something different,’ they’d be fine,” Obama told the TODAY show this morning. “They’re not invested in daddy...
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One major donor says most has already been raised

(Newser) -
President Obama wants to raise $60 million by the end of June, sources tell the AP —and one major donor says most of that amount has already been raised. Key fundraisers were asked yesterday to help with the push, which will benefit Obama's re-election campaign and the Democratic...
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Generous of him, yeah?

(Newser) -
After a long day of fundraising yesterday in Chicago, Mitt Romney was ready for some of the city’s famous deep-dish pizza. But what to do with the leftovers? Seeing as how Chicago is also the home of President Obama’s reelection headquarters, the GOP hopeful decided to be generous...
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If NJ governor decides to run, reelection campaign wants to be ready

(Newser) -
Despite the fact that Chris Christie has joked that committing suicide might be the only way to convince supporters he’s not running in 2012, President Obama’s campaign is still trying to get the dirt on the New Jersey governor. Sources tell the New York Post that Obama operatives...
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Peggy Noonan and David Brooks have different views on the 2012 race

(Newser) -
A lot of political analysts considered this week to be the informal start of the 2012 presidential campaign, and two right-leaning columnists have polar opposite views on Barack Obama's prospects:

David Brooks: "It doesn’t take a genius to see that Obama is very likely to be re-elected.

President expected to file formal papers on Monday

(Newser) -
President Obama will make it official next week, reports Lynn Sweet at the Chicago Sun-Times : He's running for re-election. The president is expected to file his papers with the Federal Election Commission as early as Monday to be a 2012 candidate, a move that will allow his camp to start...
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WinTheFuture.com could go to RNC

(Newser) -
President Obama has been talking a lot about the need to “win the future” lately. In fact, it sounds like a pretty good re-election campaign slogan, notes Roll Call . There's just one teensy-tiny issue: A conservative activist already owns WinTheFuture.com—and .org, .net, and every other WinTheFuture website....
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